Joe Schmidt ditches experimentation as Simon Zebo returns for Italy clash

Experimentation has been shelved as Ireland seek victory over Italy in their penultimate Six Nations match. Joe Schmidt squads, and specifically his replacements bench, consistently lean towards balance over impact.

Hence, Stuart McCloskey has been dropped despite his impressive physical presence in defeat to England at Twickenham.

“You are always looking for balance,” said Schmidt. “I have been coaching professionally for 15 years and have seen a lot of young players really hampered by being thrust into an environment they are not ready for. They lose their confidence. Sometimes they don’t come back for quite some time and in the same way.

“It’s just about getting to know the players and trying to find a balance between opportunity and experience.”

That argument, however, doesn’t stack up in the case of McCloskey. Ian Madigan will “potentially cover 12 or 15,” said Schmidt who added in the same sentence that Henshaw and Payne might also cover fullback.

Basically, Schmidt doesn’t want a backline player on his bench – in the Sonny Bill Williams mould for New Zealand – that covers only one position.

So, Fergus McFadden, who has played wing and outside centre for Leinster this season, wears number 23 for Saturday's penultimate Six Nations match against Italy at the Aviva stadium.

“We will keep investing in Stuart for sure. We did consider him for the bench but it then means it has a concertina effect if you make a substitution and you’ve got to push someone else to another position to accommodate somebody else coming on.

“We tried to, I guess, we want the bench to have as little disruption as possible when somebody has to come on. To have people who are slightly versatile on the bench is an advantage. Stu has only trained and played with us at 12 so that would mean we would have to shift someone elsewhere.”

Seán Cronin, current Leinster player of the year, is named ahead of Richardt Strauss as hooker cover behind captain Rory Best.

“It’s a little bit about trying to keep them both involved in the group,” Schmidt explained. “They both offer really good things.

Richardt is very strong over the ball, like Rory. At the same time Seán gives us a running option – he’s got acceleration most backs would like to have. He also gives us great line speed combatively.

“They are different throwers – one is more of a flat thrower, one is an arc thrower.

“It’s about keeping both fully charged and fully involved in the environment.”

In response to suggestions from outside the Ireland camp for Jared Payne to be picked at fullback, where he is so effective for Ulster, Schmidt said: “I don’t know what calls there are on the outside.”

Did you consider Payne at 15? “We haven’t trained with Jared at 15 so it would be a big step for us to suddenly change that. Rob trained on Monday and Simon has played plenty at fullback for us.

“I think what we lack with Jared not in the midfield has been pretty evident to us. Particularly on the edge with his defensive work. I think he did a fantastic job against France so we are looking for him to again control our defensive line in the frontline. If we take him out of there it is something else we have to find coverage for.”

Paddy Jackson is another man for the future who has been overlooked yet again.

“Paddy and I have had a pretty open dialogue and that’s been over the last two years.

“Johnny Sexton hasn’t missed a kick at goal, Ian Madigan has a phenomenal strike rate. Another aspect is Ian’s versatility. But I have a lot of time for Paddy and I do think he will grow into a player that will accumulate a number of caps.

“I think we really experimented the last game against a very settled English side,” said Schmidt of the new caps handed to Josh van der Flier, Stuart McCloskey and Ultan Dillane.

That means the Leinster pair, Madigan and McFadden, keep Ulster duo, Jackson and McCloskey, on the outside looking in.

“Picking players like Paddy or Stu – one-position players – limits the flexibility of when you can make your changes,” Schmidt reiterated.

Kieran Marmion is called up as scrumhalf cover instead of the injured Eoin Reddan.

Conor Murray was still showing facial damage from a kick to the head he received off England fullback Mike Brown.

“Certainly it was scary,” said Murray. “When I got up and had a bit of blood in my eye thankfully it was a cut beside the eye. These things happen in rugby – some guys do get bad injuries with their eyes so I was just happy to be fit for selection this week “It has drawn a lot of attention but you got to give the player [Brown] the benefit of the doubt [that it was accidental].”

IRELAND: S Zebo; A Trimble, J Payne, R Henshaw, K Earls; J Sexton, C Murray; J McGrath, R Best, M Ross; D Ryan, D Toner; CJ Stander, J van der Flier, J Heaslip.

Replacements: S Cronin, C Healy, N White, U Dillane, R Ruddock, K Marmion, I Madigan, F McFadden.